Manufacture of denicotinized tobacco products



July 21, 1936. w. H. ROSELIU S MANUFACTURE OF DENICOTINIZED TOBACCOPRODUCTS Filed Nov. 28, 1933 Patented July 21, 1936 UNITED STATES OFDENICOTINIZED ZIEOBACGO PRODUCTS Wilhelm Heinrich RoseliusJBremen,Germany (Application November--28; I953, SerialNo. 700,150 In GermanyDecember 3, 1932 9 Claims.

. My invention relates'to a process for manufacturing denicotinized"tobacco by extracting the nicotine from the tobacco leaves whenmoistened with water or steam, through thetmedium of organic solvents ata temperature under 60 C. and by eliminating the solvents from thetobacco by alternate subjection to steam and-warm air.

Previous attempts have been made to remove the nicotine from tobaccoleaves or from tobacco products by subjecting the tobacco to hightemperatures and by treating it with ammonia. The high temperatures andin particular the treatment with ammonia results in a destruction of thearomatic components containedin the tobacco leaves, whereby the qualityof the tobacco is destroyed, or at leastreduced to such an extent, thatthe products manufactured from tobacco prepared in this way have astrawlike taste. In addition, the removal of the nicotine according tothis process is very diflicult and-cannot be performed to a satisfactoryextent. In spite of a continued treatment, a substantial part of thenicotine remains in the leaves.

Attempts have also been made to remove the a nicotine from the tobaccoat high temperatures with organic solvents after a preliminary treatmentwith alkalies. Moreover, by this process the aromatic constituents,which also determine the quality of the tobacco, are so correlated, thatthe production of nicotine-free tobacco is qu te impossible, especiallysince not only the aromatic constituents are lost, but also theappearance suffers considerably.

I have found that it is possible to manufacture tobacco of perfectsmoking quality, free from all nicotine contents: by sprinkling andmoistening the tobacco leaves with water at a temperature not higherthan 50 C., whereupon without difliculty and by relatively shorttreatment of the tobacco with organic solvents, in particular withchlorohydrocarbons, the nicotine can be removed from the leaves. It hasalso been found of advantage, to perform the moistefiing of the tobaccoleaves in such a'manner, that the leaves show a rather high moisturecontent, ranging from 30% of the weight of tobacco to themaximumouantity of moisture which tobacco leaves are able to absorb by atreatment with water. The nicotine is soluble in water whilst the:aromatic components, producing the smoking qualities of the tobacco,are fatty substances and not soluble in water. For this reason anabundant moistening of the tobacco leaves with water leads to a solutionof the leaves are again moistened withsteam by sub-' nicotine 'in thewater, from which solution it can easily be removed by the subsequenttreatment with organic solvents, whilst the aromatic fatty ssubstancesare practically enclosed by the water as incapsules andiaccordinglyprotected from the action of the solvents. This is of great importance,as the solvents which can be used for the extraction of the nicotinedissolve fatty ?substances, and therefore without the special treatment,the aromatic substances would be extracted by the solvents in the sameproportion as the nicotine and only a quite worthless leaf skeletonwould result.

Further, it has been ascertained that it is of advantage to .keep thetemperature, during the extraction of the nicotine with the solvents, aslow as possible, in no case higher than 50 C., as there. by not only thearomatic ingredients of the tobacco leaves are preserved, but also anormal appearance of the tobacco leaves, which have been freed from thenicotine, is achieved. Consequently soivents of a particularly lowboiling point, such as acetylenedichloride, chloroform, carbontetrachloride, methyldichloride are suitable for the manufacture ofdenicotinized tobacco. The application of 'low boiling solvents is alsopreferred inasmuch as their removal from the tobacco leaves is possibleafter the extraction of the nicotine has been carried through. Theremoval of the remainder of the solvents is accomplished by subjectingthe tobacco leaves for a short time to warm air current, then moisteningthem with steam and then exposing them once more to the treatment withwarm air or to a heating in vacuo.

The tobacco leaves, which have been thus completely freed from thenicotine, have unimpaired appearance and smoking quality and can be usedwithout further treatment for the manufacture of cigars, cigarettes,pipe tobacco or other tobacco products, as usual.

Example hours at room temperature with acetylenedi-- chloride. After theextraction of the nicotine has been carried through, the remainder ofthe jecting to mist or bysprinkling and again heated in vacuo at atemperature not higher than 60 C.

An example of .a conventional form of apparatus which forms no part ofthe present inventhe chamber, the hood tion but may be usedin carryingout the process suspending the tobacco leaves 0:, the chamber having atightly fitting hood or cover 3 which is removable to permitthe rackscarrying the tobacco leaves to be placed in and removedfrom having avent passage 4 adapted to be'closed by a slide valve 5. The

.treating chamber'is adapted to contain a body of water and has aheating coil 6 therein for vaporizing the water, and the chamber is alsoadapted to receive the solvent through a pipe 1 the solvent.

controlled by a valve 8, the treating chamber being nearly filled withthe solvent during the exe traction of nicotine. A drain'cock 9 in thebottom of the chamber enables the water and the solvent to be drainedtherefrom, and a pipe l0 connected to the bottom of the chamber enablesair to be introduced into the chamber, this pipe having a slide valve IIfor closing it. An overfiowpipe l2 leads from the chamber above thelevel 'of the tobacco leaves therein, this pipe being provided witha-valve I! for closing it.

In carrying out the process with the aidoi an apparatus such as thatshown and described,

the tobacco leaves, after being placed in the chamber,are moistened byadmitting water to the chamber through valve 9 up to a level below thetobacco leaves and heated by admitting steam 6, the valve 5 in the ventpas-- to the heating coil sage 4 being then open so that the arisingsteam or vapor moistens from the treating chamber. The water is drawnoff from the treating chamber, after the leaves have been suihcientlymoistened, by opening valve 9, and the solvent is admitted through thepipe 1 by opening the valve 8, it overflowing through the pipe l2, thevalve I! in which is open. The

solvent is'drawn' off, after extraction ofthe nicotine has beencompleted, by opening, the valve 9,

and warm air is admitted into the chamber through pipe in for removingthe remainder of The subsequent moistening of the tobacco leavesisaccomplished with steam or vapor as described above, and thereaitenthewaopening the valve 9, and warm air is again admitted into-the chamberthrough the pipe ID, or steam is admittedto the heating coil 6, and thetobacco leaveshe'ated in vacuo by closing the valves Sand II as well asvalves 8 and 9 andei'rhausting the vapors from the chamber through thepipe l2. v Y

I claim: I

1. The process of producing denicotinized tobacco, consisting-inmoistening the tobacco, then subjecting the moistened tobacco to theaction of an organic nicotine solvent, then treating the tobacco withwarm air for the purposeoi remov- V by moistening the tobacco at atemperature ot the leaves and then escapes ,the purpose of removing thesaid solvent.

.vent, and then treating the tobacco 'to remove ing the said solvent,again moistening tobacco, again subjecting the tobaccoto treatment .withwarm air, and finally heating the tobacco to a temperature not above 60C.,then subjecting the moistened-tobacco to the action of an organicnicotine solvent, then treating the tobacco with warm air not above 60C. for the purpose-of removing the said solvent, againmoistening thetobacco, again treating the tobacco with warm air not above theaforesaid temperature, and then heating the tobacco to a temperature notabove 60 C. to remove the remaining moisture.

'4. The process of producingdenicoti nized tobacco'consisting inmoistening the tobacco to an extent not above 30% of the capacity of thetobacco, then subjecting the tobacco to the action of an organicnicotinesolvent, then treating the tobacco with warm air to remove thesaid solvent, again moistening the tobacco, again treating the tobaccowith warm air. and finally heating the tobacco to remove the remainingmoisture from the tobacco.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the solvent is from thegroup solvents consisting of acetylene dichloride, chloroform, carbontetrachloride, and methyldichloride.

6. The process of producing denicotinized tobacco. consisting in causingthe tobacco to swell above .60 C., then subjecting the moistened tobaccoto the action of an organic nicotine solvent. and then treating thetobacco with warm air for 7. The process of producing denicotinizedtobacco, consisting in causing the tobacco to swell by moistening thetobacco .at a temperature below the boiling point of the moisteningagent, then subjecting the moistened tobacco to the action of anorganic-nicotine solvent, and then treating the tobacco with warm airfor the purpose ofremoving the said solvent;-

8. The-process of producing denicotinized tobacco, consisting in causingthe tobacco to swell by moistening the tobacco at a temperature notabove '60 C., then subjecting the moistened tobacco to the action of anorganic nicotine solthe said solvent. v 9. The process 01' producingdenicotinized tobacco, consisting in causing the tobacco to swell bymoistening the tobacco at a temperature.

' below the boiling point of the moistening agent,

then subjecting the moistened tobacco ,to the action of an organicnicotine solvent, and then treating the tobacco to remove the. saidsolvent.

wrLHELM HEINRICH memos.

